EU at the UN

The EU's commitment to effective multilateralism, with the UN at its core, is a central element of its external action. As a UN observer with enhanced status, the EU delegation coordinates with its 28 Member States to speak with one voice. The EU also works closely with the UN secretariat and its agencies, funds & programmes, partnering on a range of global issues and challenges.

We meet at a time when UNRWA’s financial situation remains precarious enough to threaten the continuity of UNRWA’s essential and core services to Palestine refugees. The 2016 Programme Budget has been suffering from a deficit level very similar to that of 2015. The outlook for 2017 is equally worrying.

As the EU and its Member States, we do not stand idle, either, and respond to these challenges in several ways.

The European Union is gravely concerned at the trends on the ground, threatening the viability of the two-state solution. Over the last months, we have seen an acceleration of negative trends in direct contradiction with Quartet recommendations. The risk is to entrench a one-state reality of perpetual occupation and conflict that is incompatible with realizing the national aspirations of both peoples.